


I'll hold your hands (they're just like ice)

by BrilliantlyHorrid



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED, Apology in fic form, F/M, Fluff, Ice Skating, SO MUCH FLUFF, Skye | Daisy Johnson's Superpowers, Winter cliches, body heat, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-05-02 05:03:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5235200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrilliantlyHorrid/pseuds/BrilliantlyHorrid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daisy and Coulson go ice skating. </p><p>Unabashed, tooth rotting fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll hold your hands (they're just like ice)

**Author's Note:**

> YOU'RE WELCOME  
> (I'm so cold.)

“Do you have eyes on him?” Daisy asked quietly, pretending to adjust her winter headband over her ears.

 _“In my sights_ ,” Coulson responded over the comms, _“heading east toward the fountain.”_ Daisy nodded. Navigating through the crowd, she rubbed her gloved hands together. They had finally managed to track down HYDRA's remaining East Coast contact, after Ward had fled the US.

“He got company?” She asked quietly into her sleeve, smiling too-widely at a couple who sent her a strange look. _Yup that’s me, your neighborhood crazy single lady, wandering the park at night._

Seriously was it Valentine’s day and no one told her? Couples all bundled up against the cold, looking like walking L.L. Bean catalogues. Holding hands, drinking hot drinks, _God_ , she missed normal life sometimes. _Not that any of my dates looked like this,_ she thought with a grimace. So... _precious._  

 _“Yeah, a woman...Oh, you’re kidding me_ ,” Coulson muttered in her ear, and Daisy frowned.

“You lose him?” _Shit_. They had been so close.

 _“No,”_ Coulson answered, and she sighed in relief. _“But--oh, I see you, look to your left.”_ She did, and saw him wave from about 50 feet away. She had to give kudos to whichever Koenig was doing Coulson’s shopping these days; the winter coat he was wearing looked...nice. Very nice.

“Hey,” she said as she reached his side, then proceeded to bump into him as she got jostled by a group walking by. Phil steadied her with one hand on her waist.

“Any reason you’re standing in the most crowded part of the whole park?” She asked, shooting a look at the couple who had nudged her.  

“Yes, actually,” he said, and Daisy looked at him suspiciously

“What aren’t you telling me?”

He gave her one of those little smiles, the one that said, ‘you’re not going to be happy,’ then nodded his head over to their right. Daisy stood on her tiptoes to look over the crowd.

“Oh no,” she groaned. “You’re kidding right?”

“Afraid not,” Phil said, sighing. “Looks like he either knows he’s being followed--”

“Or he decided to treat his girlfriend to some good old winter cliches,” Daisy finished, looking over at the crowded ice skating rink. Christmas lights circled the edges, and seriously? Was he really on a date or was this the most elaborate cover up ever? Placing a hand on her lower back, Coulson directed her closer to the rink.

“You’re going to need to go in and keep an eye on them,” he said, “I’ll wait by the exit in case he runs--”

Daisy stopped in her tracks.

“Problem?” Phil asked, removing his hand immediately.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Daisy said, “I don’t skate.” Phil rolled his eyes. “No seriously, you need to be the one to go in, I’ll wait by the exit--”

“Absolutely not,” Coulson said. “Guy my age alone on ice skates? Kind of stands out. In not-a-good-way.”

“‘Your age?’” Daisy asked, but Coulson didn’t take the bait. “Seriously Phil, I promise you I would stand out more.”

“No one’s going to question a pretty girl in a skating rink,” Coulson argued, and Daisy only let the ‘pretty’ thing go because they had more important things to worry about. “What if it's a cover?” Coulson asked. “We need eyes and ears out there.”

“Yeah, okay, but I can’t.”

“Daisy,” Phil said, and she could tell he was losing his patience.

“I. Don’t. Know. _How_.”

“...What?”

Daisy sighed. “I don’t know how to ice skate, I’ve never done it. So unless you want to throw me out there and let me crawl after him, you’re up.” Coulson stared at her, like she had just confessed to having a second head. Or a tail.

(Or the ability to cause earthquakes.)

He opened his mouth a couple times and closed it, then sighed. Walking toward the rink, she heard him mutter something about how May should have come along.

_What does that even mean?_

 

“Let’s go,” Coulson said from the doorway a week or so later, and Daisy looked up. She had just settled into the lounge with her laptop, too.

“What’s going on?” She asked, shutting the screen and standing up. She had sort of been looking forward to a low key day, since things had been sort of nonstop since they tracked down Hydra Lite. Mack and Bobbi were out tailing him now, waiting for him to make contact with Ward.

“We have a mission,” Phil answered, and Daisy frowned.

“Another Inhuman?” Coulson shook his head. “What is it? Should I get my suit?”

“No,” he said, waving her over. “You’re fine like that, we’re just doing...surveillance.” Daisy looked down at her sweater and leggings. Not exactly ‘mission attire.’ But Coulson was tapping his foot now, so she decided not to argue. Besides, there had to be a reasonable explanation for his weird behavior, right? From the door, he looked at her curiously.

“Maybe just bundle up?”

_Super weird._

***

“What. Is this?”

Phil walked around to the back of the SUV, opening the trunk. “Training,” he called over to Daisy, trying not to be too amused at her bewilderment. It was strange, sure, not the most director-ly move on his part, but he needed a break. They both did.

“Training for...enduring the cold?” Daisy asked, following him as he walked through the light layer of snow.

“I told you to bundle up,” he said, and Daisy gave him a funny look.

“Really, what are we doing here, Coulson? Because I’ve done the whole avalanche thing, and I’d rather not repeat it.”

Phil sent her a baffled little smile. “Got it, avalanches, been there done that.” As they got closer, Phil looked over at Daisy, waiting to see when she would pick up on it. She was brilliant, you couldn’t get much past her. But it had some time since the mission, and he hadn’t broached the subject since. Moving closer to the small pond, Phil set the bag down, taking a tentative step onto the ice. Making a small satisfied noise at the state of it, he stepped back onto the ground and opened the bag.

“You’re kidding me,” Daisy said incredulously.

“These should be your size,” Phil pointed out, grabbing the skates by the knotted laces and holding them in her direction. She reluctantly took them, clearly still processing the situation. Sitting on a downed tree, Phil began to unlace his own boots.

“Coulson--”

“It’s important that we not get caught unprepared again,”he said smoothly, pulling the skates onto his feet. Daisy held the skates away from her body, like they might infect her.

“What is this _really_ about?” She asked, eyebrows raised. Phil shrugged.

“I needed a day.” Skates tied to his satisfaction, Coulson stood up carefully and made the short walk back to the pond. Looking back, he saw Daisy watching him curiously. Trying not to look as silly as he felt, Phil waited. Finally she sighed, taking a seat on the tree and undoing the buckles of her boots.

 

“Where did you learn this?” Daisy asked, her eyes firmly on the ice in front of her. Phil held her by the elbow, taking baby steps across the pond. It was really better to take longer strides, he wanted to tell her, but she looked uncharacteristically nervous. Daisy jerked away suddenly, one of her feet slipping in a way that threw her off balance. “Shit,” she muttered. Coulson was able to slow her fall, but she still landed on the ice, a look of annoyance on her face. Smiling apologetically Coulson carefully helped her stand.

“I played hockey as a kid,” Phil offered, and Daisy’s look of sullen discouragement gave way to surprise. “My dad signed me up, he was a sports guy and I wasn’t into peewee football, so…”

Daisy’s eyes narrowed slightly as they started -- _slowly_ \--moving forward again. “I guess I can picture that,” she said. “Did you like it?”

Phil shrugged. “Kept it up for a few years after...I enjoyed the teamwork aspect, and skating was fun, _is_ fun, once you get the hang of it.” He smiled. “I was one of the smaller kids on my team, so I always thought it was funny to see a bunch of the bigger, tougher guys doing something so...graceful.”

Daisy laughed, but cut off when she slipped on her far side again. “Agh,” she groaned, holding out her arm to regain balance.

“Here,” Phil said. He moved his hand from her elbow, grasping her hand instead.  Sliding in front of her, he held out his other hand. “This might work better.” Daisy blinked at him. “What?” He asked, starting to feel self-conscious.

“So what, you’re going to skate backwards or something?” She laughed in disbelief, but her eyes widened when Coulson just stared at her. “Wait, you can _do_ that?” Holding out his hand again, eyebrow raised, Phil waited. “Fine, I’ve got to see this,” Daisy said, taking his gloved hand in her own.

Beginning to move backwards, Phil pulled Daisy along after him. “Try to time it so you move forward with the same foot I move,” he said, and Daisy scoffed.

“Timing? Really? Let’s see how long I can stay-- _upright_ \-- first,” she squeaked as she wobbled slightly again, but Coulson made sure she stayed up. She began to get the hang of it, but the going was definitely slow.

“What else did you like about hockey?” She finally asked. “Or, what didn’t you like?”

“It was the first time I got punched in the face,” Coulson offered, and Daisy looked up quickly.

“How old?” She asked, clearly amused.

“Thirteen,” he told her, and she laughed.

“Awww, poor little Phil,” she said, and Coulson was happy to see she was still looking at him, not his feet. He began to move slightly faster.

“Don’t ‘awww’ me, I held my own,” he said, with just a hint of faux outrage.

“Oh really?” If she noticed the change in speed she didn’t say anything, and Phil was happy to see she seemed to be moving more comfortably.

“No, I got my ass kicked,” he admitted, and Daisy sputtered.

“Well, you certainly got better at punching things,” she gave him, and Phil shrugged. “Plus you can do this backwards, that’s kind of awesome.”

“One of the few perks of growing up in Wisconsin,” he said breezily, before noticing his mistake. “Sorry, that’s not--”

Daisy shook her head. “It’s fine, really.”

It wasn’t, though. It was another reminder of what she missed out on, what was taken from her. Watching her face move from its neutral, friendly mask into a slight frown, Phil felt the guilt pool in his gut.

“That’s kind of weird, isn’t it?” She asked. Noticing they were coming to the end of the pond, Phil eased them into a very slow, wide turn. Daisy looked a little nervous for a second he noticed, but got that determined look in her eyes that she got whenever she was faced with a challenge, and they soon were headed back in the other direction. Phil smiled.

“What’s weird?” He asked, taking a look at her feet. He could probably let go of her hands now, he thought, she seemed to have the rhythm down. He _could_.

“You and I would have grown up in the same area, kind of, right?” She asked.

“About an hour away,” he said. _And about 20 years apart_ , he didn’t say.

“This is better anyway, right?” She asked, and Phil almost stumbled.

“What is?”

Phil felt Daisy shrug more than saw it, a slight upward motion in her hands (but she still hadn’t let go.)

“I mean, it’s kind of a weird thing to say, because everything was so...messed up, but my life would be completely different.” She wrinkled her nose. “I wouldn’t be Inhuman, but I’d be…”

“From Wisconsin? I know,” he joked and Daisy rolled her eyes. Deciding maybe it was time to change the arrangement, Phil slowly slid to a stop. Daisy, not picking up on what he was doing, kept moving and bumped into his chest. 

“Sorry--”

“No, sorry, I should have said something,” Phil interrupted, steadying her by placing his hands on her hips. ( _Center of gravity_ , he was a gentleman.) “Think you’re ready to try it on your own?” He asked, paying no attention to the fact that they were standing so close, or that her cheeks had gone slightly rosy with the cold, which had also made her eyes a bit watery but so bright and shiny he might be blinded. No, no attention to that at all.

“Uh, yeah,” Daisy said, nodding in a way that was clearly trying to convince herself as much as him. Phil nodded, releasing her and moving slightly off to her side. “Maybe--” Daisy said, taking one step forward and stopping. “Maybe just one?” She asked, holding out her hand tentatively. Trying not to look too thrilled, Phil took it.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me this was actually easy?” Daisy asked, whipping around the perimeter of the pond. _Of course_ it had taken her all of ten minutes to get the hang of it, once she set her mind to it. Phil was caught between amusement and mild annoyance, considering how long it had taken him to pick up the skill.

Granted, he was a child at the time and Daisy was an adult, but still.

“I’m pretty sure I did,” he told her the next time she looped by him. Phil decided to speed up a bit, not completely catching up (even though he could) but trailing behind her.

“Yeah, yeah,” she called, “how about you teach me some of your _other_ tricks?”

Phil raised an eyebrow. “Not sure you could handle it,” he teased, and Daisy turned her head as far as she dared to glare at him. She sped up, as if challenging him.

 _Okay then_ , Phil thought, catching up to her. _If she's looking for a competition…_

Seeing him begin to pass her, Daisy let out a laugh and pushed forward, but as they reached a turn Phil was able to smoothly glide past her. Spinning slightly into an about-face, Phil began skating backwards.

“Show off,” Daisy muttered, and Phil just shrugged. “Do I just--” Daisy spun just as Phil had done, but immediately began to wobble. Skating backwards was easy, once you got the hang of it, but clearly she was not there yet.

“Careful!” Phil called over, as Daisy’s arms began to windmill. He had moved quite a ways away from her, so Coulson slid to a stop as she finally toppled over backwards. Wincing as Daisy fell on her ass with a thud, he began to skate in her direction.

“You alright?” He asked, before she turned to face him from the ground. She looked panicked. “Daisy?” Concerned she had actually hurt herself, he started to move faster.

“Stop!” Daisy yelled, and Phil looked down. From where her hands had landed on the ice, a crack had begun to form. And it was heading in his direction.

***

“I’m _so_ sorry, Phil,” Daisy said, searching through the bags in the back of the SUV. Looking over at the back seat, she could see him shake his head. That, or he was just shivering really violently.

“S’fine,” Phil said, his teeth audibly chattering. “Got me out.”

“I’m the reason you were  _in_ the water in the first place,” she sighed, digging faster through the bags. Finally finding a couple blankets, she tossed them over the seat at Coulson, who quickly wrapped one around his bare shoulders. Taking a bag of gear with her, she shut the trunk and hopped into the driver’s seat, making sure the heat was on full blast.

“S-Sk-- _Daisy_ ,” Coulson said warningly, and she rolled her eyes. How could he complain about her taking the blame when it was totally her fault? The poor guy could have frozen to death.

 _Still could,_ really, she was pretty sure his lips weren’t supposed to be blue.

“Do you want to get closer to the heat?” She asked, trying to direct the vents his way. Coulson shook his head. Daisy was about to give him a stern talking-to, but noticed that the second blanket she had tossed him was sort of haphazardly draped over his waist, and she could see most of his bare legs. “Are you _trying_ to turn into an ice cube?” She said lightly, but still concerned. Reaching over, being sure to not touch him anywhere the Director of SHIELD wouldn’t want to be touched, Daisy adjusted the blanket until it was covering his legs, tucked in slightly at the sides, like a cozy secret agent burrito.

Coulson sent her a thankful look, but Daisy could still see he wasn’t getting warmed up. In fact, from the brief contact her hand had made with his thigh (because _that_ happened,) she could feel that he was still alarmingly cold.

Looking down at her hands thoughtfully, Daisy had an idea. She climbed over the center console into the back seat.

“Wh-what are you d-d-d-”

“Trying something out,” Daisy interrupted. Waiting for his wary approval, Daisy climbed onto Phil’s lap, straddling him and wrapping her arms around his back.

“ _Daisy_?” His voice, through the shivers, was clearly surprised. She supposed this was probably the closest they had ever been.

_And he is totally naked under there._

Okay, that wasn’t helpful.

“Just trust me, okay?” She asked, and after some hesitation, Phil nodded. Or, you know, shivered, but she was pretty sure it was a nod. Wrapping her legs around his back, Daisy pulled him close, feeling his chilly face press against the side of her neck. “God, you’re freezing,” she muttered, and Phil let out a quiet little apology.

 _Yeah, because it’s such an inconvenience for me,_ she thought. Clearing her throat, trying to make this as _normal_ as it could possible be, Daisy closed her eyes.

“I’m just going to try something, let me know if it’s like, bad or whatever,” she mumbled, and began to concentrate.

“ _Jesus Christ_ ,” Coulson gasped, and Daisy winced.

“ _Sorry_ , sorry, too much?” _Okay, so maybe give him a little warning before vibrating his body, got it_. Phil let out a strangled little noise and she tried to decide it it made it more or less awkward that she couldn’t see his face. “Got it,” she said casually, “I’ll try more ‘electric blanket,’ less…’vibrating bed.’”

Coulson said nothing, probably mortified by the metaphor, but true to her word, Daisy gave it a second try. She toned it down a bit, feeling the vibrations flow through her with the barest perceptible hum. Coulson was still tense, but after a couple moments she could have sworn she heard a little sigh in her ear. So maybe it was working?

After a minute or so, Coulson looped his own arms around her waist, pulling her closer, so yes, she would venture a guess that it was working just fine.

“I got you,” she said quietly, running her hands over his back. Eventually, after he seemed less like a Philsicle, Coulson leaned back. Daisy was sure he was going to tell her that it was enough, she could get off his lap now, but instead he grabbed her hands and moved them to his face. Daisy cupped his cheeks, watching his eyes dart over her face.

“You’re really cold,” she said quietly, stroking her thumbs over his cheekbones. _This_ was the closest they’d been, she decided. Technically, _physically_ they were closer before, but she felt like she could see more of Coulson than she ever had looking into his eyes just then.

Assuming the feeling was mutual, and maybe she wasn’t quite ready to be seen that clearly, Daisy looked away. Either wind had begun to blow flurries from the trees, or it had begun to snow out the window.

“Don’t.”

Daisy looked up to find Phil still staring at her. She could see all the little gold flecks in his eyes from here, the little lines around them that grew more pronounced when she was around. One of his hands, the one of flesh and bone, stroked her cheek lightly.

“I’ve missed you,” he told her quietly.

Daisy nodded. They’d been living in the same space for months, but between battles and arguments and circumstance, sometimes she felt like they had never been farther apart.

“Me too,” she replied, and she saw his eyes glance at her mouth. “Are you warm yet?” She asked, becoming nervous under his scrutiny.

_Does my breath smell okay?_

(They were _really_ close, okay?)

Coulson smiled shyly at her, and she could feel her discomfort begin to fade away. This was Coulson. _Phil_. AC. There was no one she was more comfortable with, even in that position.

Which, frankly, was not that bad a place to be.

“No,” he told her, and her brows furrowed. Coulson raised his eyebrows, somewhat apologetically.

_Oh._

Leaning in, Daisy tentatively pressed her lips against his, her hands feather-light on his face in case he decided to pull away. But she hadn't read him that wrong, had she?

Pulling away was not on the agenda, it turned out, because Phil moved his hand up to thread through her hair, deepening the kiss quickly. Wrapping her legs around his waist tighter Daisy responded enthusiastically, gasping loudly when she felt the metal of his prosthetic slide under her shirt.

“ _Cold_!” She said quickly, and Coulson pulled the hand away.

“Sorry,” he said, looking uncomfortable, and Daisy shook her head. She felt bad about the outburst, knowing how the loss of his hand still affected him every day. How it made him question his own humanity. Which, honestly was something the two of them could talk about at length.  _Should_ have talked about at length really. Now, Daisy was wondering why they hadn't. 

_So much time wasted._

“Don’t be,” she told him quickly, placing a hand over his metal one. “Just a little surprising, that’s all,” she said. Wrapping her other hand around his palm, Daisy held the prosthetic between both of her palms, trying to warm it up a bit. It was sort of just for her benefit, she was pretty sure Phil couldn’t feel it. But the way he was looking at her as she rubbed the metal fingers between her hands made her wonder if maybe he could after all. 

“You’re incredible,” he said softly, and Daisy tilted her head, giving him a funny look. 

“I’m not using my powers right now,” she told him, lifting their joined hands up slightly for emphasis.

Moving his other hand up to brush some hair out of her eyes, Phil smiled warmly.

“I know.”


End file.
